1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a farm apparatus including a tool bar for mounting various farm implements thereon, and more particularly, to an apparatus including an arm which may be pivoted from a transport position to a field position without disengagement of the tractor from the arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of farming equipment is known in the prior art which provides for several farm implements to be mounted upon a tool bar. The implements are interchangeable to permit the tool bar to support a variety of equipment, such as plows or planters. The tool bar and associated equipment are generally moved in the field by a tractor attached to an arm or other supporting structure connected to the tool bar. The problem exists, however, in transporting the farm apparatus to and from the field since the tool bar and associated equipment may have substantial width.
One method for overcoming the problem of transporting the farm apparatus to and from the field has been to provide for the apparatus to fold into a more compact unit for transportation. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,164, issued to Tanke on Dec. 15, 1964, there is disclosed a planter which includes row markers extending outwardly from the main apparatus. The row markers, as is customary in the art, are constructed to fold toward the main part of the planter to provide a unit of less width for transportation purposes. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,272, issued to Watson on Mar. 26, 1974, there is disclosed a six- and eight-row cultivator and planter frame which also provides for collapsing of the frame for transportation. In the Watson device, the row markers and portions of the frame itself are folded vertically to reduce the overall width of the unit during transportation. Similar devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,131,773, issued to Cox on May 5, 1964; U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,823, issued to Matthews et al. on June 20, 1972; and, U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,103, issued to Krumholz on July 8, 1969. A folding boom assembly of comparable design and purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,148, issued to Hitchcock on July 24, 1973.
Another approach to this problem has been the provision of tool bar constructions in which the apparatus is towed endwise in transporting it to and from the field. Thus, the tool bar which may support as many as twelve or even twenty-four planting units in the field would have a considerable length, but could be towed endwise to and from the field. However, the tool bar constructions in the prior art have required that the tractor or other vehicle be separated from the device in the field and reconnected at the end of the tool bar for transportation. It is an inconvenient and frequently difficult task to accomplish such a change by a single operator of the device while in the field. The physical requirements of making the disconnection and connection and the uneven terrain in the field may render it virtually impossible for a single person to accomplish the change in a reasonable length of time.
With the development of farming technology, it has been possible to use farming implements which are capable of discing, planting, or otherwise treating a large number of rows in the field with one pass. With this increase in the size of farm equipment, it has become increasingly necessary to provide for new methods of transporting the equipment to and from the field. The present invention provides a simple mechanism by which a tool bar apparatus having a substantial width in the field may be changed from the field position to the transport position without disengagement of the tractor therefrom.